The VLW Blog

Abingdon U.S. District Court Judge James Jones yesterday refused to approve two settlement agreements in an overtime pay case because the parties insisted on confidentiality. Cynthia Murphy and Teresa Hale worked for Dollar General Stores. They sued Dolgencorp Inc., alleging they did not fall within the executive exemption under the Fair Labor Standards Act. The [...]

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Wise County Circuit Judge Joseph R. Carico resigned last Thursday, according to a Supreme Court of Virginia spokeswoman. His two colleagues on the 30th Circuit bench announced in early June that Carico would not be hearing cases until further notice, and sources with some knowledge of the situation said the resignation occurred after a hearing [...]

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Security cameras in stores. Employees recording conversations with their bosses. Cameras that catch red-light runners. Police putting GPS devices on vehicles. We live in a “surveillance society,” according to Professor Charles Ess, who spoke Sept. 20 at an ethics symposium on new media co-sponsored by the University of Richmond School of Law. “Game over,” Ess [...]

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Gov. Bob McDonnell has declined to intervene in the scheduled execution of Teresa Lewis. In 2003, Lewis plead guilty to two counts of capital murder for hire of her husband and step-son. She was sentenced to death on both counts, with an execution date set for this Thursday, Sept. 23. Yesterday, the governor released a [...]

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Judges in Missouri now have access to details of the public cost as they weigh prison time versus probation. The state’s sentencing advisory commission began this practice last month, according to The New York Times. Proponents hope that this cost comparison will encourage judges to consider alternatives to prison time. But prosecutors and other critics [...]

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Yesterday, the Supreme Court of Virginia published 17 opinions. Virginia Lawyers Weekly subscribers can read our analysis of the following cases on The SCoVA Blog: An invalid order, but no standing to challenge it What happens when a judge without authority to hear an ex parte petition grants it anyway and no party has standing [...]

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Update: 09/16/2010, 4:36 p.m. It was enough. Barely three hours after Crane appeared before the Supreme Court, it issued the following order: “Upon consideration of the apology proffered by William A. Crane, the Rule to Show Cause is dismissed.” An obviously sincere apology may be enough to get Winchester attorney William A. Crane out of [...]

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Young lawyer groups in two statewide bar organizations brought home trophies when the American Bar Association presented its Awards of Achievement at its annual meeting held in San Francisco last month. The Virginia Bar Association’s Young Lawyers Division received first place for its comprehensive programming, which includes such signature projects as the 2009 Virginia Lieutenant [...]

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Del. Dave Albo, the Fairfax Republican who chairs the House Courts of Justice Committee, has asked the Virginia State Bar to assist in reviewing candidates who want to succeed Justice Lawrence L. Koontz Jr. on the Supreme Court of Virginia. Koontz has reached the mandatory retirement age of 70 and must step down in February. [...]

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The allocations – half federal grant, half local and state in-kind services – will support programs that help former inmates transition back into society, according to a news release from Gov. McDonnell. The governor said the grants, targeted to three regions, are the first steps in securing money for statewide offender aid programs. By Peter [...]

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